On Apple's long-rumored and just-unveiled iPad, Iwata echoed the choir of the unimpressed, describing it as "a bigger iPod Touch" with "no surprises for me."

And while recent reports have suggested that the next iteration of Nintendo's DS hardware will incorporate a motion-sensor much like its own Wii or Apple's iPhone/iPod Touch--something the company later denied--Iwata wasn't too keen on the concept.

"I question whether those features would be enough to get people to buy new machines," he said in regards to a motion-sensitive DS and/or a Wii with high-def output.

But what of the current fascination with 3D movies and gaming? "I have doubts whether people will be wearing glasses to play games at home," Iwata said while welcoming 3D theatrical experiences like Avatar. "How is that going to look to other people?"